Eaton Corporation

James A Bongard

Eugene F Duncan

Gregory L Nadolski

John P Groves

Daniel J Kalista

Joseph Lazzaro

Paul Klingseisen

Cheryl A Fredricks

Michael J Delaney

James R Jaeschke

Protective shroud for an electric cable

A protective shroud (22) for a flexible electrical cable (20) at the location where it emerges coaxially from the rear end (14) of an electrical device, such as an inductive proximity or photoelectric sensor (2), serving as a strain relief and protection from being bumped as well as retaining such electrical cable (20) at a gradual right-angle bend from a horizontally-mounted sensor (2) to keep it out of the way, such as from the aisle adjacent a conveyer on which the sensor is mounted. Snap-in means including an annular groove (18) on the rear end of the sensor (2) and a constricted-opening (22f) slot (22e) in the inner side wall (22d) of the shroud (22) afford snap-in mounting of the latter onto the rear end (14) of the sensor (2) with the shroud (22) being rotatable thereon to allow the electrical cable (20) to be oriented in any desired direction. Another version of protective shroud (24) adapted for a vertically-mounted sensor ( 2) in FIG. 3 has its snap-in slot (24f) in its upper end wall (24e) so as to surround and protect the downwardly hanging cable (20) at the location where it emerges from the rear end (14) of the vertically-mounted sensor (2). The shroud (22,24) is mounted of plastic material of a selected color to identify the product of a particular manufacturer.

Electrical device with protective shroud for flexible electrical cable

A preassembled self-contained fiber optic module is disclosed which may be inserted in standard switch enclosures to enable a remote electrical switching function to be performed by means of optical switching within the switch enclosure. A single module mounts facing ends of two fiber optic cables in spaced substantially colinear alignment and also forms a narrow elongated guiding channel perpendicular to the colinear axis of the cables and intersecting the gap therebetween for guiding an operator-driven opaque shutter which is movable into the gap to block the optical path between the facing ends of the cables. Transducer means are provided at the remote ends of the fiber optic cables to supply an electrical signal in response to optical transmission. A fiber optic limit switch and a fiber optic pushbutton switch are specifically disclosed.

Fiber optic electric switch

Growing community of inventors

Milwaukee, WI, United States of America

James A Bongard